Zero-turn lawn mowers, also referred to as zero-turn-radius lawn mowers, include a body in which their front wheels are mounted on rotatable swivel caster assemblies. This allows the zero-turn lawn mower to have exceptional maneuverability. However, when the mower is operated, and due to the nature of these rotatably mounted wheels, lawn clippings and other debris are readily directed onto a mower deck mounted behind the front wheels. Such debris is permitted to become incorporated into the mechanical mechanism, which includes various pulleys and belts, that drives the cutting blades. This causes the premature deterioration or wearing out of the blade drive mechanism, resulting in increased maintenance, increased cost, and increased down time of the mower, all of which are unwanted.